Table 2.
Aspects of physical activity assessment.
| Aspect assessed | Illustrative quote(s) |
|---|---|
| The physical activity patients do at work | ‘I usually just ask them … what sort of work do they do, so you get an idea of whether they are getting much physical activity through their workplace …’ (GP2) |
| What physical limitations each patient has | ‘One has to be practical if a patient has problems with back and leg pain you can't keep saying “Oh just go for walks”.’ (GP1) |
| ‘You talk about what they like to do … it's very important that they do what they can sustain — what's enjoyable for them. Or possible for them, physically possible.’ (GP14). | |
| Each patient's preferred types of physical activity | ‘I talk about finding exercise that they're comfortable with, what would they like to do, if they've done exercise in the past, what they liked.’ (GP5) |
| ‘If someone cannot swim or never swam in their life before, it's pointless to say “go for swims”.’ (GP1) | |
| ‘You've got to find an exercise that you at least can tolerate if you can't enjoy.’ (GP7) | |
| ‘I ask them if they've got any other physical interest and if they do I encourage that.’ (GP12) | |
| The patient's lifestyle or routine, to determine how physical activity might fit with their lifestyle | ‘A lot of them probably won't continue artificial things like go for a walk for half an hour every day because it just doesn't suit modern lifestyles. So you try and incorporate it into something that they have to do.’ (GP3) |
| Readiness of patient to change or discuss physical activity | ‘I firstly try and find out what they do and if they're interested in doing more.’ (GP7) |
| Each patient's social supports | ‘In younger people … what their friends do.’ (GP9) |
| ‘What their partner's lifestyle might be … because that often impacts on their own.’ (GP2) | |
| ‘I find out what their attitude is about family members and important others … if you can include the person's important people that's a really strong motivator.’ (GP12) | |
| Social factors; for example, work and relationships | ‘Often I get a bit of a picture of … what their life is like, so what sort of a job they've got and whether they're enjoying their work situation and how their home life is. Sometimes people have a poor … work situation or poor home situation. They can often deal with that by just watching TV and deal with it in a negative way, rather than in a constructive way, which is to get out and go for a walk or go down to the beach … or whatever.’ (GP2) |
| Medical and family history to: tailor a physical activity programme; assess priority of addressing physical activity; and identify potential motivating factors | ‘What's a good exercise for them given their pre-existing health conditions.’ (GP8) |
| ‘Whether they have any family history of certain diseases … so are they in a higher-risk category and therefore it makes it even more important they have a good lifestyle.’ (GP10) | |
| The presence of other potential motivating factors | ‘I also often ask them if they've got a dog that needs walking.’ (GP9) |
| ‘One of the most helpful things is … taking the time to find out what factors are gonna [sic] motivate them to change. Some people will be motivated by trying to lose weight. Some people will be motivated by trying to get a flatter stomach. Some people will just be motivated because they want to do the Point to Pinnacle race … it's just finding the unique selling point for exacting change.’ (GP13) | |
| Exploring barriers to change | ‘I think the best thing is to find out why they are not doing it [physical activity] … and find out if there is a way they can actually start to fit something in.’ (GP14) |
| How long the patient has been performing their current level of physical activitya | |
| Past patterns of physical activity and exercise performeda | |
| Specific components of physical activity; for example, aerobic, strength, flexibility and weight-bearing componentsa | |
a
Quotes illustrating this are given in the text.